TJS Custom Drums Home

Proudly Made in the USA

Welcome to TJS Custom Drums Maple Passion

Why TJS?

Built by a drummerTom J. Schultz has been a professional drummer since 1964 and takes extreme pride in hand building, finishing and assembling each drum meticulously. Tom creates each set of drums as if he were going to be playing that drum himself.

It starts with the wood TJS Custom Drums primarily uses select grade maple for shells. Maple has a great, warm, rich sound and is very versatile – with a lot of tuning range. Birch is also used when a drier more focused sound is desired.

Coming out of the shell Our standard laminated shells are staggered for extra strength and can be made from 5 to 40-plys depending on the desired sound.

We also do Stave shells on request for snares. The “staves” or blocks are made from solid wood with no plies or stress from bending. The vertical grain pattern produces a stronger bearing edge so it will stay true longer — extending the life and preserving the sound of your drums.

The finish Our specialty finish is a hand rubbed satin lacquer using specific oil finishes (Tung, Danish, etc.) topped with carnauba wax. This is a real classy satin, semi-gloss finish which has a slight sheen and is perfectly smooth. It’s the house favorite!

We also offer natural or custom stain finishes as well as a finish ply, gloss, exotic veneer. Gloss black is available on hoops only.

The beauty within TJS Custom Drums are also finished on the inside of each shell – TJ’s philosophy is that the inside is also part of the drum. The inside is finished with Danish oil and is hand-sanded from 400 to 1200 grit sandpaper to provide the smoothest possible finish. The oil prevents the inside of the drum from drying out without changing the sound.

Eco-Friendly TJS Custom Drums is proud to be eco-friendly by using only water-based paints and stains.

Personalized ServiceTom J. Schultz has an initial consultation with clients to determine the sound they are looking for. Tom will ask several questions such as what type of music they play, venues they commonly play, and drums they have played in the past. Tom will make suggestions and recommendations for sound, etc, but ultimately – the perfect custom kit is a collaboration between the artist and TJS Custom Drums.